Reliance General Insurance Co. Ltd. … vs Masilamani M. Chettiar And Ors. on 16 March, 2026

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    Bombay High Court

    Reliance General Insurance Co. Ltd. … vs Masilamani M. Chettiar And Ors. on 16 March, 2026

    2026:BHC-AS:12724                                                             905-FA-1193-2025
    
    
    
    
                                                                                   Navnath Waghmare (P.A)
    
    
    
                               IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY
                                            CIVIL APPELLATE JURISDICTION
                                            FIRST APPEAL NO 1193 OF 2025
                        Reliance General Insurance Co.Ltd.              ...Applicant
                              Versus
                        John Philip Rodrigues (Insured) And Ors.      ...Respondents
                                                      WITH
                                   CROSS-OBJECTION (ST) NO. 29187 OF 2025
                                                      WITH
                                    INTERIM APPLICATION NO. 9179 OF 2025
                                                      WITH
                                      INTERIM APPLICATION 11371 OF 2025
    
                        John Philip Rodrigues (Insured) And Ors.         ...Applicants
                                             Versus
                        Reliance General Insurance Co.Ltd.               ...Respondent
                                                      WITH
                                      FIRST APPEAL (ST) NO. 3278 OF 2025
                                                      WITH
                                    INTERIM APPLICATION NO. 1406 OF 2025
                                                      WITH
                                   INTERIM APPLICATION NO. 1405 OF 2025
                        Reliance General Insurance Co.Ltd.               ...Applicant
                                             Versus
                        Masilamani M. Chettiar and Ors                 ...Respondents
                                                      WITH
                                 INTERIM APPLIATION (ST) NO. 19845 OF 2025
                        Masilamani M. Chettiar and Ors                   ...Applicants
                                             Versus
                        Reliance General Insurance Co.Ltd.               ...Respondent
    
                        Ms. Kalpana Trivedi a/w Shreenath Trivedi for the Applicant.
                        Mr. T.J. Mendon, a/w Tulshiram Kale a/w Aaditya V. Kode,
                        Advdhut Bidaye i/b Bidaye & Associates for the Respondent Nos.3
                        and 4 in FA 1193 of 2025 and Respondent in FA(ST) 3278 of
                        2025.
    
    
    
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     Mr. Tushar Shingte, a/w Vasant More, Saif Kazmi for the
          Respondent N No. 1 & 2.
    
    
                                   CORAM:              R. M. JOSHI, J.
    
                                   RESERVED ON         27th FEBRUARY, 2026
     JUDGMENT:

    – PRONOUNCED ON 16th MARCH, 2026

    1. By consent of both sides heard and decided together, since
    both appeals arise from same judgment and award dated
    12.03.2025 passed in MACP No. 1142 of 2021.

    SPONSORED

    2. Insurer, filed appeal challenging claimants right to seek
    compensation and quantum of compensation and instant thereon
    being excessive / exorbitant.

    3. Whereas, original opponent No.1 and 2, i.e. parents in law
    of deceased, filed appeal as it is held by Tribunal that they are not
    entitled to receive any compensation.

    4. Learned counsel for insurer drew attention of Court to the
    evidence on record to contend that Tribunal granted excessive
    compensation ignoring material evidence on record. She also took
    exception to the interest awarded by Tribunal to be on higher side.

    5. Learned counsel for the original claimants i.e. Parents of
    deceased, so also original Opponents No.1 and 2 i.e. parents in

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    law, supported judgment of the entirety and to extent of quantum,
    respectively.

    6. Learned counsel for the parents in law of deceased submits
    that Tribunal committed error in denying compensation to them on
    the ground that they are neither legal representatives of deceased
    nor were dependent upon her. He drew attention of Court to claim
    petition filed by parents of deceased, wherein it is not pleaded
    that parents in law are neither legal representatives nor dependent
    upon deceased. Similarly, it is not so claimed in the evidence on
    oath by claimant. It is therefore submitted that Tribunal could not
    have denied compensation to them, without objection being taken
    to that effect. According to him the term legal representative has
    been interpreted by Supreme Court which includes even a person
    who intermeddles with the estate of the deceased and though not
    necessarily legal heir. It is further held that legal heir are persons,
    who are entitled to inherit estate of the deceased and legal heir
    may also be legal representative. To support this submission he
    placed reliance on N. Jayasree & Ors v. Cholamandalam MS
    General Insurance Company Limited
    (2022) 14 SCC 712 and
    Montford Brothers of St. Gabriel and Anr. Vs. United Insurance &
    Anr
    (2014) 3 SCC 394.
    He further submitted that in view of
    identical provision of Section 166 of the Motor Vehicle Act, 1988 (
    Section 110 A of of the old Act), the judgment of Gujrat State
    Road Transport Corporation, Ahmedabad Vs. Ramanbhai
    Prabhatbhai & Anr
    (1987) 3 SCC 234 is applicable to the present
    case, where the claim filed by brothers of deceased is held to be

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    reasonable. Finally he took aid of judgment of Supreme Court in
    the case of National Insurance Co. Ltd. Vs. Birender and Ors 2020,
    ACJ 759 and judgment of this Court in the case of Bajaj Alianz
    General Insurance Co. ltd. Vs. Sunita Veredra (2025) 1 Mah LJ-
    368, to buttress his submissions.

    7. Learned counsel for the claimants i.e. parents of deceased,
    supported exclusion of in-laws from entitlement of receipt of
    compensation. It is his contention that deceased is a Christian and
    Parents-in-law are not legal representative being not legal heirs of
    deceased. According to him since claimants are entitled to inherit
    estate of deceased, they became legal representative of deceased.
    To support his submissions, reliance is placed on Manohar Maruti
    Ghule Vs. Dang Sanjeev
    2014 ACJ -717 , Bombay High Court.

    Devaki Vs. The Managing director KSRTC, MACA No. 1787 of 2021
    Kerala High Court and Glory bai Vs. S.K.A Noorjahan Beevi & ors
    2013 ACJ 32, Madras High Court. He further argued that Parents-
    in-law of deceased had filed claim petitions on death of husband
    and son of deceased & also received compensation and therefore
    they are not entitled to get any amount of compensation in this
    proceedings.

    8. In an unfortunate accident occurred on 01.07.2021, Ms.
    Luiza Jeromita Rodrigues @ Luiza Joaquim Chettiar and her
    husband and son died. They were traveling in Motor Car bearing
    No. MH-48-AW-2796 and were dashed by offending vehicle, i.e.
    motor trailer No. GJ-12-BV 4687. Deceased was aged 35 years and

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    employed with Colgate Palmolive India Ltd., drawing salary of Rs.
    59,500/-p.m., parents of deceased filed claim, joining her parents-
    in-law as opponents.

    9. Owner of offending vehicle failed to appear before Tribunal
    inspite of service and hence claims preceded ex-parte. Insurer
    however contested claim by filing written statement & challenging
    evidence led by claimants. The claimants have proved age and
    income of the deceased by examining Venkatraman Ramchandra
    (AW2). Nothing could be elicited by Insurer in his cross
    examination to disbelieve his testimony. The claimants therefore
    succeeded in proving the employment and income of deceased.
    Similarly, there is no dispute about correct application of
    multiplier and addition of future prospects. On the basis of
    evidence on record, this Court found, no perversity in the
    determination of amount of compensation by Tribunal, so also,
    grant of interest @ 7% is fully justified.

    10. Now question arises whether the Appellants/ Parents-in-law
    of the deceased would be entitled to receive compensation on
    account of death of deceased. Tribunal held that parents-in-law of
    deceased had received compensation on account of death of their
    Son and Grandson, so also get service benefit of son and the
    parents of deceased having obtained succession certificate from
    competent Court. On these two counts, Tribunal excluded parents-
    in-law from entitlement to receive compensation. At this stage it

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    would be relevant to take note of provisions of Section 166 of the
    Motor Vehicles Act, which reads thus:

    CHAPTER- XII CLAIMS TRIBUNALS

    Section 166. Application for compensation

    “(1) An application for compensation arising out
    of an accident of the nature specified in sub-
    section (1) of section 165 may be made-

    (a) by the person who has sustained the injury; or

    (b) by the owner of the property; or

    (c) where death has resulted from the accident, by
    all or any of the legal representatives of the
    deceased; or

    (d) by any agent duly authorised by the person
    injured or all or any of the legal representatives of
    the deceased, as the case may be:

    Provided that where all the legal representatives
    of the deceased have not joined in any such
    application for compensation, the application shall
    be made on behalf of or for the benefit of all the
    legal representatives of the deceased and the legal
    representatives who have not so joined, shall be
    impleaded as respondents to the application:
    Provided further that where a person accepts
    compensation under section 164 in accordance
    with the procedure provided under section 149,
    his claims petition before the Claims Tribunal shall
    lapse.

    (2) Every application under sub-section (1) shall
    be made, at the option of the claimant, either to

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    the Claims Tribunal having jurisdiction over the
    area in which the accident occurred or to the
    Claims Tribunal within the local limits of whose
    jurisdiction the claimant resides or carries on
    business or within the local limits of whose
    jurisdiction the defendant resides, and shall be in
    such form and contain such particulars as may be
    prescribed:

    (3) No application for compensation shall be
    entertained unless it is made within six months of
    the occurrence of the accident.

    (4) The Claims Tribunal shall treat any report of
    accidents forwarded to it under [section 159] as
    an application for compensation under this Act.
    (5) Notwithstanding anything in this Act or any
    other law for the time being in force, the right of a
    person to claim compensation for injury in an
    accident shall, upon the death of the person
    injured, survive to his legal representatives,
    irrespective of whether the cause of death is
    relatable to or had any nexus with the injury or
    not.”

    11. Perusal of this provision indicates that application for
    compensation may be made by legal representatives of the
    deceased when death has resulted from accident involving Motor
    Vehicle. The proviso further indicates that in the application for
    claim of compensation, all legal representatives shall be impleaded
    as respondents.

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    12. In the backdrop of the said provision, parents-in-law are
    joined as party opponents to the claim petition. It is nowhere
    stated in the petition that they are neither dependents on deceased
    nor it is specifically claimed that parents-in-law are not entitled to
    seek / receive any compensation. Pertinently, claimant No.1 in his
    evidence does not claim so. It seems that only at the time of
    arguments before Tribunal, challenge is raised to the right to
    receive compensation of them. Moreover, from the impugned
    judgment and award it appears that the said objection was mainly
    for the reason that the parents-in-law of deceased received service
    benefits of their son and also compensation on account of death of
    son and grandson. To support such claim reliance is placed on
    Succession Certificate obtained by parents of deceased from
    Competent Court.

    13. The term legal representative has not been defined in the
    Act. The Hon’ble Supreme Court in case of N Jaysree (supra) has
    dealt with the same and observed that:

    “14. The MV Act does not define the term “legal
    representative”. Generally, legal representative means a
    person who in law represents the estate of the deceased
    person and includes any person or persons in who legal
    right to receive compensatory benefit vests. A “legal
    representative” may also include any person who
    intermeddles with the estate of the deceased. Such person
    does not necessarily have to be a legal heir. Legal heir are
    the persons who are entitled to inherit the surviving

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    estate of deceased. A legal heir may also be a legal
    representative.

    15. Indicatively for the present inquiry, the Kerala Motor
    Vehicles Rules, define the term ” legal representative”

    as under:

    “2.(k) Legal representative” means a person who in
    law is entitled to inherit the estate of the deceased if he
    had left any estate at the time of his death and also
    includes any legal heir of the deceased and the executor
    or administrator of the estate of the deceased.”

    “16. In our view, the term “legal representative” should be
    given a wider interpretation for the purpose of Chapter
    XII of the MV Act
    and it should not be confined only to
    mean the spouse, parents and children of the deceased.
    As noticed above, the MV Act is a benevolent legislation
    enacted for the object of providing monetary relief to the
    victims or their families. Therefore, the underlying the
    enactment and fulfil its legislation intent. We are also of
    the view that in order to maintain a claim petition, it is
    sufficient for the claimant to establish his loss of
    dependency. Section 166 of the MV Act makes it clear that
    every legal representative who suffers on account of the
    death of a person in a motor vehicle accident should have
    a remedy for realisation of compensation.

    14. It is thus held that the term “legal representatives” is not
    confined to the spouse, parents or children of deceased.
    Considering the object of providing monetary relief to the victims
    or their families, it is sufficient that the claimant is dependent and
    establishes loss of dependency. It is further made clear there that

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    every legal representative who suffers on account of death of a
    person in a motor vehicular accident should have a remedy for
    compensation.

    15. Similarly in case of Gujrat State Road Transport Corporation
    (supra) in para 11 to 13 of judgment it is held that:

    “11.Clauses (b) and (c) of sub-section (1) of Section
    110-A
    of the Act provide that an application for compensation
    arising out of an accident may be made where death has
    resulted from the accident by all or any of the legal
    representatives of the deceased or by any agent duly
    authorised by all or any of the legal representatives of the
    deceased. The proviso to sub-section (1) of Section 110-A
    provides that where all the legal representatives of the
    deceased have not joined in any such application for
    compensation, the application shall be made on behalf of or for
    the benefit of all the legal representatives of the deceased and
    the legal representatives who have not so joined shall be
    impleaded as respondents to the application. The expression
    “legal representative” has not been defined in the Act. Section
    2(11)
    of the Code of Civil Procedure, 1908 defines “legal
    representative as a person who in law represents the estate of
    a deceased person and includes any person who intermeddles
    with the estate of the deceased and where a party sues or is
    sued in a representative character the person on whom the
    estate devolves on the death of the party so suing or sued. The

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    above definition, no doubt, in terms does not apply to a case
    before the Claims Tribunal but it has to be stated that even in
    ordinary parlance the said expression is understood almost in
    the same way in which it is defined in the Code of Civil
    Procedure
    . A legal representative ordinarily means a person
    who in law represents the estate of a deceased person or a
    person on whom the estate devolves on the death of an
    individual. Clause (b) of sub-section (1) of Section 110-A of
    the Act authorises all or any of the legal representatives of the
    deceased to make an application for compensation before the
    Claims Tribunal for the death of the deceased on account of a
    motor vehicle accident and clause (c) of that sub-section
    authorises any agent duly authorised by all or any of the legal
    representatives of the deceased to make it. The proviso to sub-
    section (1) of Section 110-A of the Act appears to be of some
    significance. It provides that the application for compensation
    shall be made on behalf of or for the benefit of all the legal
    representatives of the deceased. Section 110-A(1) of the Act
    thus expressly states that (i) an application for compensation
    may be made by the legal representatives of the deceased or
    their agent, and (ii) that such application shall be made on
    behalf of or for the benefit of all the legal representatives. Both
    the person or persons who can make an application for
    compensation and the persons for whose benefit such
    application can be made are thus indicated in Section 110-A of
    the Act. This section in a way is al substitute to the extent
    indicated above for the provisions of Section 1-A of the Fatal

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    Accidents Act, 1855 which provides that “every such action or
    suit shall be for the benefit of the wife, husband, parent and
    child, if any, of the person whose death shall have been so
    caused, and shall be brought by and in the name of the
    executor, administrator or representative of the person
    deceased”. While the Fatal Accidents Act, 1855 provides that
    such suit shall be for the benefit of the wife, husband, parent
    and child of the deceased. Section 110-A(1) of the Act says
    that the application shall be made on behalf of or for the
    benefit of the legal representatives of the deceased. A legal
    representative in a given case need not necessarily be a wife,
    husband, parent and child. It is further seen from Section 110-
    B
    of the Act that the Claims Tribunal is authorised to make an
    award determining the amount of compensation which
    appears to it to be just and specifying the person or persons to
    whom compensation shall be paid. This provision takes the
    place of the third para of Section 1-A of the Fatal Accidents
    Act, 1855 which provides that in every such action, the court
    may give such damages as it may think proportioned to the
    loss resulting from such death to the parties respectively, for
    whom and for whose benefit such action shall be brought.
    Persons for whose benefit such an application can be made and
    the manner in which the compensation awarded may be
    distributed amongst the persons for whose benefit the
    application is made are dealt with by Section 110-A and
    Section 110-B of the Act and to that extent the provisions of
    the Act do supersede the provisions of the Fatal Accidents Act,

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    1855 insofar as motor vehicle accidents are concerned.
    These provisions are not merely procedural provisions. They
    substantively affect the rights of the parties. As the right of
    action created by the Fatal Accidents Act, 1855 was “new in its
    species, new in its quality, new in its principles, in every way
    new” the right given to the legal representatives under the Act
    to file an application for compensation for death due to a
    motor vehicle accident is equally new and an enlarged one.
    This new right cannot be hedged in by all the limitations of an
    action under the Fatal Accidents Act, 1855. New situations and
    new dangers require new strategies and new remedies.

    12. Amongst the High Courts in India there is a cleavage
    in the opinion as regards the maintainability of action
    under Section 110-A of the Act by persons other than the wife,
    husband, parent and child of the person who dies on account
    of a motor vehicle accident. All these cases are considered by
    the High Court of Gujarat in its decision in Megjibhai Khimjı
    Vira v. Chaturbhai Taljabhai.2The
    first set of cases are those
    which are referred to in para 5 of the above decision which lay
    down that every claim application for compensation arising out
    of a fatal accident would be governed by the substantive
    provisions in Sections 1-A and 2 of the 1855 Act and no
    dependent of the deceased other than the wife, husband,
    parent or child would be entitled to commence an action for
    damages against the tortfeasors.
    Amongst these cases are P.B.
    Kader v. Thatchamma
    5and Dewan Hari Chand vs Municipal
    Corporation of Delhi.6 The
    second group of cases are those

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    referred to in para 6 of the decision of the Gujarat High
    Court. They are Perumal v. G. Ellusamy Reddiar7 & Vanguard
    Insurance Co. Ltd.
    v. Chellu Hanumantha Rao8. These cases lay
    down that while the compensation payable under Section 1-A
    of the Fatal Accidents Act, 1855 is restricted to the relatives of
    the deceased named therein the compensation payable under
    Section 2 thereof may be awarded in favour of the
    representatives of the deceased who are entitled to succeed to
    the estate of the deceased. The third group of cases are those
    referred to in para 7 of the judgment of the Gujarat High
    Court.
    They are Mohammed Habibulla V.K. Seethammal 9,
    Veena Kumari Kohli vs. Punjab Roadways10 and Ishwar Devi
    Malik Smt v. Union of India11
    which take the view that a claim
    for compensation arising out of the use of a motor vehicle
    would be exclusively governed by the provisions of Sections
    110
    to 110-F of the Act and bears no connection to claims
    under the 1855 Act and the Claims Tribunal need not follow
    the principles laid down under the latter Act.
    Having
    considered all the three sets of decisions referred to above,
    Ahmadi, J. who wrote the judgment in Megjibhai Khimji Vira v.
    Chaturbhai Taljabhai2
    came to the conclusion that an
    application made by the nephews of the deceased who died on
    account of a motor vehicle accident was clearly maintainable
    under Section 110-A of the Act.

    13. We feel that the view taken by the Gujarat High
    Court is in consonance with the principles of justice, equity and
    good conscience having regard to the conditions of the Indian

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    society. Every legal representative who suffers on account of
    the death of a person due to a motor vehicle accident should
    have a remedy for realisation of compensation and that is
    provided by Sections 110-A to 110-F of the Act. These
    provisions are in consonance with the principles of law of torts
    that every injury must have a remedy. It is for the Motor
    Vehicles Accidents Tribunal to determine the compensation
    which appears to it to be just as provided in Section 110-B of
    the Act and to specify the person or persons to whom
    compensation shall be paid. The determination of the
    compensation payable and its apportionment as required by
    Section 110-B of the Act amongst the legal representatives for
    whose benefit an application may be filed under Section 110-
    A
    of the Act have to be done in accordance with well-known
    principles of law. We should remember that in an Indian family
    brothers, sisters and brothers’ children and some times foster
    children live together and they are dependent upon the bread-
    winner of the family and if the bread-winner is killed on
    account of a motor vehicle accident, there is no Justification to
    deny them compensation relying upon the provisions of the
    Fatal Accidents Act, 1855 which as we have already held has
    been substantially modified by the provisions contained in the
    Act in relation to cases arising out of motor vehicles accidents.
    We express our approval of the decision in Megjibhai Khimji
    Vira v. Chaturbhai Taljabhar2
    and hold that the brother of a
    person who dies in a motor vehicle accident is entitled to

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    maintain a petition under Section 110-A of the Act if he is a
    legal representative of the deceased.”

    16. Hon’ble Supreme Court in the case of Montford Brothers
    (supra) held that where the deceased who renounced the family
    and joined Church, on account of her accidental death, the claim
    petition filed by Church is held maintainable.

    17. The law laid down by the Hon’ble Supreme Court therefore
    distinguishes the entitlement of legal heir to inherit estate of
    deceased and right of a legal representative to seek compensation
    on the ground of loss of dependency. There is no dispute about the
    fact that in the present case legal heir of deceased would be
    entitled to inherit her estate, however it cannot be said so in
    respect of claim for compensation on account of loss of
    dependency.

    18. In the case in hand, certain facts are undisputed such as
    deceased married to son of Appellants and the said marriage
    subsisted till unfortunate death of both. The parents-in-law are
    joined as party opponents to the claim petition in terms of proviso
    to Section 166 of the Act. There is no pleadings that the parents-
    in-law were neither dependent on deceased nor such contention
    appears in evidence on oath of claimant No.1. thus practically no
    dispute is made by the claimants i.e. parents of deceased about
    the parents-in-law being not ‘legal representatives’ of the
    deceased. In such case, the tribunal without such plea being raised

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    in claim petition ought not to have accepted arguments made on
    behalf of claimant for exclusion of parents-in-law to receive
    compensation on account of loss of dependency.

    19. In our society unless otherwise established there is reason to
    believe that even after marriage, a daughter takes care of her
    parents so also parents-in-law Both parents-in-law as well as
    parents are required to be considered as dependents on deceased,
    in absence of any contrary evidence. In respect of the estate left
    behind by the deceased, legal heir would be entitled to claim the
    same, however, the compensation on account of loss of
    dependency, would not be considered as estate left behind by
    deceased in order to only legal heir to be entitled to receive the
    same. To hold so, would be contrary to the law settled by the
    Hon’ble Supreme court, in above cited judgment on behalf of
    parents-in-law. These judgment squarely apply to the present case.

    20. On the other hand, judgment in case of Mantford (supra)
    holds that parents of deceased married lady are entitled to
    maintain claim for compensation, Kerala High Court in case of
    Devaki (supra) has dealt with the right of legal heir to receive
    estate of deceased.
    In case of Glory Bai (Supra) Madras High
    Court has held that father-in-law as legal representative can seek
    compensation on account of death of daughter-in-law in motor
    vehicular accident.

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    21. In the case in hand, what seems weighed to Tribunal for
    denying compensation to parents-in-law is that parents had
    obtained succession certificate and that parents-in-law received
    employment benefits of their son and compensation for death of
    Son & Grandson. As held above, person who is dependant upon
    the deceased is included in term ‘legal representative’ and
    therefore obtainment of succession certificate by parents of
    deceased, would not become ground to deny compensation to
    parents-in-law who are legal representatives & dependents upon
    deceased. Similarly, receipt of compensation by parents-in-law of
    deceased on account of death of their son and grandson, can never
    become a reason for denying them compensation. What tribunal
    would have done is to consider the said fact, while apportionment
    of compensation amount. The findings recorded by tribunal
    denying right of compensation therefore cannot sustain and
    deserves interference.

    22. Considering the fact that the parents-in-law have received
    compensation on account of death of their son, they are held to be
    entitled to receive 1/3rd compensation in present claim. The
    remaining 2/3rd compensation would be received by claimants
    i.e. parents of decease. Impugned judgment and order also
    therefore stands modified to that extent.

    23. Hence, the following order:

    i. Appeal filed by Insurer stands dismissed.

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    905-FA-1193-2025

    ii. Appeal filed by Original Opponent No. 1 and 2 stands partly
    allowed.

    iii. It is held that original claimants shall be entitled to receive
    2/3rd compensation and parents-in-law i.e. original
    opponent No.1 and 2 to receive 1/3rd compensation out of the
    total amount of compensation granted by tribunal.

    iv. Rest of the judgment and award is maintained.

    (R. M. JOSHI, J.)
    {

    Page 19 of 19

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